Director
Michael Bogdanov

Cast
Macbeth: Sean Pertwee
Lady Macbeth: Greta Scacchi
Macduff: Lorcan Cranitch
Malcolm: Jack Davenport
Lady Macduff: Ruth Gemmell
Duncan: Philip Madoc
Banquo: Michael Maloney
Witch: Denise Black
Witch: Lesley Joseph
Loon: Richard Coyle


Michael Bogdanov, founder of the English Shakespeare Company, has always been renowned for his fresh, immediate approach to Shakespeare: His 1994 documentary, Shakespeare On The Estate explored the impact of Shakespeare on the residents of a Birmingham housing project by staging parts of Macbeth with urban minority groups, including Asian youths, representatives from the large black community, drunks, homeless and the unemployed.

While the recent trend for contemporary directors to stage Shakespeare in increasingly outlandish settings may have added variety to the Shakespeare canon, Michael Bogdanov has consistently shunned such gimmickry in favour of a sense of realism and immediacy, and this version of Macbeth is a consummate example of his fresh approach.

The influence of his Birmingham workshop experience is evident in this production. He employs run-down urban buildings, scrapyards, and occasional thrift-store finery to evoke a post-apocalyptic feeling as a parallel to the stark original setting of medieval Scotland. Sean Pertwee gives a tense, highly-strung Macbeth, who becomes more introverted and secretive as he follows the witches' counsel, while Greta Scacchi is well cast as Lady Macbeth, veering between passionate wife and steely ice queen with devastating ease.

Originally produced for Channel 4 Learning, this is a highly-acclaimed, well-produced and imaginitive production, given a new twist by a master director.